A Familiar Foe
by Veriandise
Summary: The turtles have finally defeated Shredder, but when a new threat rears it's ugly head, will they be prepared for what they find?
1. Intro

A/N: Hey everybody! Welcome to my story. My summary probably sucked, but it was obviously good enough to get you to come here, so who knows. Anyway, this is just an introduction, so hopefully, you'll read it, like it, and stay tuned. Thanks for listening!

Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did, then you'd be seeing this on T.V. instead of right here.

**Intro:**

A lone figure crept slowly down the hallway, carrying with him an large envelope. He glanced nervously at the wall around him, constantly peeking over his shoulder. His behavior was somewhat like that of an oversized rat, wandering a bit to close to a sleeping tabby. He came to the end of the hallway, halting in front of a large door. He saw a large shadow looming over him, and he whirled around, clutching the envelope as is he were prepared to give his life to protect it. There was no one there. There were no objects, no furniture in this room, and there was barely any light, but the shadows still danced along the walls The wind whistling outside taunted him, daring him to run. Shaking slightly, he cursed himself for being so afraid. He slowly turned back to the door. Taking several deep breaths, he tried to mask his fear as best he could. He reached forward with a sweaty, slightly shaking hand, and gently turned the doorknob. He tried to stall as long as possible, trying to be absolutely silent, but winced at the sudden creaking sound.

"What are you waiting for?" The voice came from inside the room. It was a voice that would give the bravest of men shivers, and cause their blood to freeze in their veins. Cold and cruel, it was not unlike the unbearable screeching of nails on a chalkboard. The man scurried hastily inside, shutting the door behind him.

He found himself in a spacious room, luxuriously furnished, with the only light coming from a fireplace on the far wall. He figured that this was some sort of study, based on the rows of bookshelves lining the walls. In front of the fireplace, there was a comfortable but elegant looking chair, and an ornately carved wooden desk. The desk with littered was piles of papers, with a high tech looking computer on the far side that didn't quite fit with the decor. Among the papers, there were news clippings, charts, and maps, as well as a few blurred photographs. It appeared as though whoever had been looking through the papers had thrown them down in frustration, and that they had been there for some time. The chair however, was occupied, but whoever was there was looking into the fire, with their back to the door.

"Did you get it?" The man jumped slightly as he was jolted out of his daydream. He suddenly remembered the envelope he still held in a death grip.

"Y-yes master." The man cleared his throat quickly, hoping that it would stop his voice from shaking. "It was delivered this morning."

"Perfect." The mysterious figure then made a sound, that sounded like a quiet chuckle, but it wasn't the joyful sound that is normally associated with laughter. Anyone hearing this sound would get an instant feeling of impending doom. It was something from which nightmares were formed, and put fear into the hearts of many.

"Put it on the floor." The man gently placed the envelope on the floor, and stepped back quickly, as if fearing that it might explode. "Now get out of my sight." He fled, but as quickly as he wanted to get out of the room, he closed the door softly, not wishing to anger his master.

"Pathetic slave." The mysterious figure continued to speak, although he knew there was no one in the room. "Loyal while I have power, but gone the second there is no longer a chance of reward. All I have over them, is their fear of death. But now that I have this final piece of information, my long awaited game may finally begin. My new right hand man will be loyal beyond belief." The figure moved to his computer, and began typing. The man chuckled again, and continued talking to himself. "Yes, the final piece has been set up for this tragically realistic game of mine." He continued to type, emphasizing the final press of the button. "Your move..."

Well, that's it for now. Theres lots more to come, so I hope you liked it. You guys all know the drill by know, right? If not, you have to READ and REVIEW! I need opinions to make this better! You're only hurting yourself by ignoring me!


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello again! Here is the first official chapter in the story. Sorry it took so long. I was going to have it up the next day, but I reread it, at it was really bad, so I completely rewrote it. I'd like to warn you in advance that if you find any typos, that you can blame them on the Canadian winters. I can't feel my fingers, but I'm writing this anyway, just for you guys. Don't you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

Special thanks to those who reviewed my first chapter. That was honestly a lot more then I expected. Thanks so much!. Don't worry, the intro doesn't make much sense yet, but it ties in with the story later on.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Not unless Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny all work together to make my wildest dreams come true.

**Chapter 1**

A young turtle sat alone in his room. He had reached the crucial point in one of his many experiments. He wiped away the beads of sweat that had gathered above his bandana before they drenched it. He had found over the years that the purple colored material irritated his skin when damp, and he needed to be free of distractions when infusing these chemicals. One slip, and all people within a 1 mile radius would be able to experience the sensation of flight. _The flight itself may be enjoyable, _he thought grimly, _but the landing may be a little rough._

He tried to push that type of thought from his mind, and drew a shaky, calming breath. He reached for a small vial filled with a bright yellow colored liquid. He held it over a vial of dull blue liquid, and swirled it around. He slowly tipped the vial, watching as the solution made its way closer and closer to the rim. He concentrated with every fibre of his being, knowing that it was essential to apply only the exact dose and not a drop more. _Almost there... Steady now..._

**BAM BAM BAM**

Donatello jumped, accidentally letting go of the container that he had been holding. Luckily for that one mile radius, his lightening fast reflexes allowed his to catch the bottle before it spilled. He silently thanked whichever deity was responsible for keeping the chemicals where they belonged, and slowly released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"What?"he snapped at the still closed door. It opened slowly, and a green face peeked in at him, wearing an orange mask and a cheesy grin.

"Hey Donny."

"What do you want Mikey?" he snarled, a little sharper then he meant to. The grin disappeared, replaced by a look of hurt. Donny immediately regretted his words. He shook his head. His youngest brother, Michelangelo, had perfected the infamous puppy dog eyes, making it nearly impossible for anyone to stay mad at him for long. God knows he's had enough chances to practice. He was forever getting himself in trouble for all of his joking and his pranks. He sighed, and looked back at his fun loving brother.

"What do you need Mikey?" He said again, but softer this time. Mikey grinned again, and bounced over to his brothers desk.

"What'cha doing Donny?" He picked up the yellow vial and shook it violently. Donny quickly snatched the bottle away.

"An experiment."

"What's it about?"

"I'd explain it to you, but chances are you won't have any idea what I'm talking about, and I'll just be wasting my breath."

"Yeah, that's a good point. Can I watch?"

"I don't know Mikey, it's a very delicate process and..."

"Oh pleeeease Donny? I'll be so quiet you won't even know I'm here! Don't make me go back out there! Raph watching some boring football game and Leo's still training. I'm soooo bored!" Mikey turned the puppy dog eyes up to full power, and looked at his older brother expectantly. Donny sighed again. Mikey was incapable of entertaining himself. He occupied his time by pulling pranks on others, doing things with others, or just talking with others. Since his other two brothers had obviously already turned Mikey down, there was no one else for him to pass him off to.

"Fine Mikey, but you have to be absolutely silent, and don't touch anything!" Mikey grinned once more, and flopped onto Donny's bed, laying on his stomach with his face right by the desk. He appeared genuinely intrigued, but Donny knew better. Mikey's attention span was greater only to that of a goldfish. Donny stretched his arms high above his head. Sitting at this desk for so long had begun to painfully stiffen his joints. After hearing a loud cracking sound emanating from his spine, he picked up the yellow vial once more, and prepared to administer the proper dose.

The liquid reached the rim of the bottle and stopped, poised on the edge, a single drop growing larger and larger, it's weight increasing little by little as it stretched closer and closer to the rippling surface below. _This is it, here goes nothing..._

**CRASH**

"Mikey!"

"What?"

"I told you not to touch anything!"

"I didn't! Honest!" Donny looked over. Surprisingly, Mikey was indeed still laying on his bed in the same position as a few minutes ago.

"Oh, well then what was that crash?"

"Dunno, came from outside. Guess we should go see, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose. You go ahead, I'll be right out. I just have to put this stuff away."

"Sure Donny. You don't need any help do you?"

"NO! I mean, that's fine Mikey, I can handle it." _Mikey handling chemicals. There's a disaster waiting to happen. _

"Okay bro. See ya in a few."

"Right."

Mikey practically ran out the door, slamming the door behind him. The slamming door jarred the chemical bottles, and Donny settled them quickly, preventing a massive explosion for the third time that evening. He carefully placed the chemicals back into their airtight containers and put them in his cupboard. This experiment would have to wait for another day. After that many close calls, he didn't think his nerves could handle it.

He put away the last of his supplies, and walked out into the living room. After a quick glance, he had pretty much summed up the extent of the damage. Mikey had told him that Raph was watching some football game, and by the looks of the sai sticking out of the T.V. screen, he was guessing that Raph's team had lost. Mikey was hugging the T.V. screen, looking close to tears. Raph stood by, arms crossed over his plastron, a murderous gleam in his eyes. Their sensei was there too, speaking sternly to Raphael, while trying to comfort Michelangelo at the same time.

"... have told you this many times Raphael. You must learn to control your temper. Taking your anger out on material objects may be preferable to attacking your brothers, but from now on I would prefer you making sure that the object is sturdy enough to take your abuse."

"Aw, come on sensei! It's not a big deal, Donny could fix that in five minutes tops."

Master Splinter, who was for the most part a very kind and exceedingly wise rat, could be very strict when dealing with his four sons. At the moment, his patience was wearing thin. He always kept calm and emotionless when dealing out punishments, but at this point, he was getting rather tired of Raphaels attitude. His whiskers bristled in anger, and his tail twitched slightly.

"It is not the television I am worried about, but rather the principle behind your actions. Your temper is becoming too difficult to deal with and if you do not make an attempt to repress these outbursts I may be forced to give you a much more severe punishment then simply restricting your television privileges!" With each syllable Splinter's tone was lounder and angrier, until fury was radiating from his body.

All four of his sons stopped and stared for a minute, and Raphael's jaw hung open, unable to believe that his sensei was getting so upset over something that he thought was so insignificant. Splinter took a deep breath, and then returned to his normal, calm state.

"I will be in my room for a while. I need to reflect on some of the days events. Please try to remain civil to each other while I am gone."

With that, Splinter swept into his room, and it took a few minutes before any of the young mutants could get over the shock of what had just happened. Raphael was the first to break away from the spell, and disappeared into his room for a minute, only to return a few minutes later carrying a trench coat and fedora. He made his way towards the door, when a figure wearing a blue mask stepped into his path.

"Move Leo."

"Where are you going Raph?"

"Out. Now move."

"You can't go anywhere."

"You can't tell me what I can and can't do Leo. Now get out of my way."

"Didn't you listen to Master Splinter? He was angry enough to yell at you! Don't you think it would be better to stay here and stop breaking every rule you can?"

"Splinter didn't say nothing about going topside 'Fearless Leader', and I don't need you saying it for him. I'm not going to ask you to move again." Raph spoke through gritted teeth and was clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. Donny seriously considered just going back into his room. He could tell this was not going to end well. As if on cue, Raph moved towards Leo and took a swing at him, one that Leo easily blocked.

"C'mon Raph, just calm down. Is it really that big a deal to just stay here for just one night?"

"It is when I have to stay here with you!" Raph continued to launch punches in Leo's direction, most of which Leo blocked, but one or two found their targets. Donny watched this display, shaking his head sadly. Raph and Leo's fights were becoming a daily thing, and he was getting quite tired of it. It gave him a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach to think about how it was driving the family apart. Something was going to happen one of these days, and they would both regret all their squabbles. He just hoped that day was far, far away.

A/N: Well, there you go. I tried to make this chapter longer then the last one. How do you people write such long chapters all the time? Anyway, expect another chapter very soon. Chapter 2 is almost completely done. Oh by the way, PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. Chapter 2

wow, I am nothing but a humble computer geek who stumbled upon the world of tmnt fanfics and decided to try it. I don't deserve your praise!

to answer some questions:1) yes he is pointing to something but i can't tell you that, it will ruin the story. 2) donny's playing with something dangerous because it's more fun to write then Donny's fixing the toaster. 3) the first chapter will make sense, but not until later on. remember, patience is a virtue! evil smirk

and for all you people reading the story and not reviewing: please? pretty please? reviews give me the confidance to post more, which I sorely need!

Disclaimer: Not mine! No! Turtles not mine! (I need to remind myself every once and a while)

**Chapter 2:**

The moonlight shone brightly on the rooftops in the city of New York. The night was clear and cold, with an icy wind gusting through the streets. A dark shadow leapt between buildings, taking off and landing silently. Raph was furious. He ran faster then ever before, panting and sweating slightly despite the cold. The wind played with his bandanna tails, causing them to whip out behind him as he ran. It was late fall, nearly winter. Winter was Raph's least favorite time of the year. It wasn't the dreary grayness he disliked, like most people. On the contrary, he found it rather comforting. It was the fact that because of the cold, and his being cold blooded, he was hardly ever allowed topside, except for emergencies. Being cooped up for that much with 'Fearless Leader' was enough to make his head explode!

_God Leo, why do you have to be such a perfectionist? Just let me do what I like! I'm not hurting anyone. _

His mind was racing, so many thoughts whirling around inside his head. _I didn't really do anything that bad. _He leapt across a particularly wide gap, which he had come upon without really realising it. He just barely made it across, but he stumbled a little on the landing, scraping his leg on the rough cement.

_Shit!_ he cursed inwardly, stopping his mad dash across the city to inspect his wound. Nothing major. He had dealt with much worse over ther years. He was bleeding, but he left it alone. It wasn't life threatening, he could clean it up when he went home. Still, it was painful, so he decided to slow down for a while.

He wandered over to the side of the roof, and looked down at the busy intersection below. He made his way to the edge and sat down, inhaling and exhaling deeply, trying to slow his pounding heart. The drops of sweat clinging to his body turned cold, causing him to shiver. He hugged himself and rubbed his upper arms, trying to warm up. It really was starting to cool down. He'd have to go home soon, as much as he hated to do it. Once again he thought of Casey's nice warm apartment, and figured that he would definately have to stop by for a while. The longer he could avoid confronting Leo and Splinter, the better. He just had to think about some stuff first.

He sat there, fuming quietly, watching as each set of headlights flew by on the street far below. _What is his problem! He wanted me to stay home for no reason. That really didn't make much sense. Why would he want me to stay around? If it were me, I'd be begging him to leave. He just didn't want me to do anything that wasn't his idea. _Raph pulled a sai out of his belt and began to twirl it idly, still consumed in his thoughts. _He knows exactly how to drive me crazy, and sometimes he's more annoying then Mikey! That's really saying something too. Man, sometimes I think I should just not go back home at all, but if I didn't, I know they'd just track me down, and then I'd have to deal with an angry Leo AND Splinter, instead of just annoyed Leo. I know that would be so much worse_. _Of course, Splinter already blew his top at me. Maybe they were glad to get rid of me. _

Raph looked at his hand and realised he had begun spinning his sai faster and faster as his anger increased. He stopped his incessant twirling and stuck his sai back in his belt, still thinking about his earlier experience. _Stop thinking like that_, he scolded himself. _Sure, we fight a lot, but what normal family doesn't? I can't leave them. They're all I have. Without them, I'd be even more of a nothing then I already am._

Raph sighed again. He was still furious, but he didn't exactly feel like killing anybody anymore. That was a good sign. He picked up a rock lying next to him and threw it into a dumpster below. He smiled slightly, satisfied with the loud crash it made when it connected with the metal. He really had to stop depressing himself like this. He had enough to worry about without having to worry about his own mind turning on him. Suddenly he sensed movement behind him.

He jumped up and drew his sais all in one fluid movement. He narrowed his eyes, searching for anything out of the ordinary. He thought he saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. He crouched low, and slowly made his way in that direction. He reached the edge of the roof, and peered down into the alley underneath. As he was examining the alley, he didn't notice the figure sneaking up behind him. He was trembling now, not from fear, but from the cold. He really should have worn a coat or something. He really didn't want to get into a fight at the moment, not when he was so distracted, and with the cold already begining to slow his reflexes. He heard a slight scuffling noise coming from right behind him, a whirled around, a split second too late.

A sickening crack echoed through the alleys below, and the shadowed figure dropped a now bent pipe on the ground next to the still body of the fallen turtle. He quickly signaled to his companions and two other shadows came forward, lifting the limp form and carrying him away into the night.

Back at the lair, Mikey and Donny sat on the couch watching T.V. while Leo sat on a chair nearby flipping through a worn out book of Japanese history. Splinter was still in his room, meditating. He was sitting on the floor in the lotus position, eyes closed, breathing slowly and evenly. Inside his mind, everything was just as peaceful. Splinter prepared himself to end his meditative state, needing to stretch his legs and have a cup of tea.

Out of nowhere, he suddenly got a very bad feeling. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was making him nervous. He pushed the feeling aside, thinking that it must have been an overprotective father worrying about everything. Still,... He got up, and left his room. Glancing around quickly, he counted three people in the room, all of which looked up at him as he entered. He nodded to them, and supplied them with a thin smile before proceeding to the kitchen. Raphael was missing yet again. The sinking feeling returned, at full force as he poured his tea. He would wait before he told his sons about this feeling. There was no need to worry them over nothing, not yet. Still...

A/N: Well, there you go. Getting curious yet? Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing, but not one without the other.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Alright, this is the last time I'm answering this question. The first chapter ties in with the story in the next chapter! cough cough, sort of cough I also know one reviewer (you know who you are) who really needs to calm down a little bit. But don't stop your reviews. I love them!

Disclaimer : I own them! Their mine! Mine! (is tackles by big men in white uniforms, given medication, and put in a big room with soft walls.) Doctor: Please excuse my patient. Her condition causes momentary lapses in reality. (in the distance) They're mine I tell you!

**Chapter 3:**

Leo was the first to rise that morning, as he almost always was. He rose silently, closing his door softly behind him. The doors to his brothers rooms were all closed, and he assumed they were still asleep. He padded down the hallway using all of his ninja stealth. Reaching the dojo, he made his way over to where his twin katanas were mounted to the wall.

He took them down and unsheathed them, then took a minute to admire the gleam of the polished metal reflecting the dim light in the room. He moved over to the middle of the room and began warming up. He soon moved into more difficult katas, and began moving faster and faster. His swords became a shining blur of metal as the blades flew around him. He took a deep breath and actually allowed himself a small smile. His early morning practices were one of the few times when he could truly relax.

He heard a noise by the door and whirled around, stopping to rest in a defensive stance. He relaxed when he saw his rat master standing in the doorway.

"You are up early my son."

"Yes sensei. I couldn't sleep."

"I see. Is something bothering you Leonardo?" Splinter looked concerned.

"No sensei." Leo said quickly. He didn't want his master to worry about him. "I just thought I could use a little individual practice." He replaced his katana on the wall and grabbed a towel. He had worked up quite a sweat. He wondered exactly how long he had been practicing.

"I had planned on starting morning practice now, but after your training you may be in need of some rest."

"No, we can start now sensei." Splinter nodded.

"Then would you please go and wake your brothers."

"Yes sensei." Leo bowed slightly, and left the room.

The first room in the hallway was Michelangelo's. He opened the door and looked around. He wrinkled his nose at the mess. The floor was covered with comic books, drawings, and pizza boxes that had been there for who knows how long. He picked his way through the mess, and made his way over to the bed in the corner of the room, where he saw a large lump underneath a mound of blankets.

"Mikey..." he called softly, not wanting to startle his brother. "Mikey?" he said again, louder this time. He saw no response from the lump under the covers. "MIKEY!" he shouted, and the slumbering turtle sat up with a snort.

"It wasn't me!" he shouted, looking around frantically. He finally saw Leo standing next to him, and his rigid form relaxed visibly. "Aw, Leo, what'dcha do that for?" His speech was slurred slightly, his body still infected with sleep. He lay back down, and pulled the blankets up over his head in an attempt to block out the light streaming in from the doorway.

Rolling his eyes, Leo moved to the foot of the bed and grabbed the bottom corners of the blankets, one in each hand. He stepped back and gave a mighty tug, and all of the blankets flew off of the bed, unveiling the still sleeping turtle curled up in the middle of the bed. The sudden cold caused Mikey to jolt slightly. He raised his head again.

"Whaaa-at?" he whined, blinking rapidly to help his eyes adjust to the light.

"Time for practice Mikey. You gotta get up."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be out in five minutes." He put his head down once more, and his breathing became slow and steady. Leo shrugged and left the room. He had done all that he could. Hopefully Mikey would make it to practice on time on his own.

He made his way to the next room, home to his genius brother Donatello. He walked in, not needing to turn on any lights. The room was illuminated by the glow from the computer screen. He walked over, thankful that at least one of his brothers could keep their room fairly clean.

He reached the bed, but it was empty. Glancing around the room, he sighed when he saw a sleeping figure hunched over the computer desk. On the screen was a long string of nonsensical letters, where Donny's face rested on the keyboard. Leo shook him gently, knowing it would be much easier to wake Donny then it was Mikey. He woke up almost instantly, looking around wildly. He saw Leo, and rubbed his neck, wincing. Falling asleep at the computer was a nasty habit he had picked up, and it caused quite a bit of neck pain.

"What time is it?" he asked quietly, rubbing the last of the sleep from his eyes.

"Practice time." Leo replied with a grin. Donny groaned.

"Great, that's my favorite part of the day."

"Isn't it everybody's? Sensei's waiting in the dojo. I gotta go get Raph."

"Good luck with that. After last night, you'll probably need it." He stood up and stretched, yawning hugely.

Leo made his way to the door, and left. He walked slowly to the last room, not looking forward to what would come next. He opened the door, and peered inside. The room was pitch black, and he knew better then to turn the light on while this brother was still sleeping. He called out to his brother, not wanting to venture into the room that was basically off limits to everyone.

"Raph? It's practice time. Raph?" No answer. Leo took a deep breath and went in. He tripped almost instantly over something, he didn't really want to know what. He felt his way over to the hammock and called out to his brother again, and once again received no reply.

Something was wrong here. It was much too quiet. He could normally here Raph's snoring from the living room, but in here it was dead silent. He reached out to shake his brother awake, but...

"Master Splinter!"

A/N: Yeah, since I normally write from either over donny's shoulder or Raph's shoulder, I thought I would put in a little Leo time. By the way, I just thought you should know that I was a writing machine today, and I wrote almost two more chapters. Of course, I need to wait a bit before posting them, so I don't spoil you. Toodles!


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